I sincerely appreciate all the lovely well wishes and kind congratulations surrounding my race this past weekend. I made it very public that this race was indeed important to me, and undoubtedly my KEY race of the early season. I know this added pressure, but I was OK with that. I was ready for the challenge and couldn’t wait to see what the day had in store for me.
Race morning came very quickly. I was so excited to get started and had no trouble getting out of bed at 4am. Thankfully, I was not part of the group of people waiting at the gates for transition to open (at 4:30am), but I was not too far behind. After getting my bike in Transition, Pam and I watched the sun rise while sitting on the beach eating breakfast. It was a glorious morning.
With a 7am Pro start, it did not take long for the hustle to begin. I was expecting a non-wetsuit swim, however it was announced race morning that it was actually wetsuit legal. Thankfully I had just received my new Helix Wetsuit and Point Zero 3 in the mail from Blue Seventy, so I was perfectly equipped for either scenario. I loved my old Helix (which is why I pursued Blue Seventy for Sponsorship), but the new 2008 version is something else-ABSOLUTLY amazing suit.
Thanks to this suit, I had a great swim. I came out with the front pack (3 of us) and felt great.
I worked hard through transition and made it out on the bike in the lead. I hammered hard from the start, and was enjoying every moment. Just after the 5 mile mark I lost my water bottle (my ONLY calories) after taking a rough corner. I almost went back for it, but I noticed a volunteer picked it up and got it off the road. AT this point I had plenty of adrenaline flowing and didn’t think it would be much of an issue on this cool day. I tried to slow down to grab a bottle at the next aid station, but didn’t quite slow down enough to sync with the water boy! I was still feeling great, so kept pushing along.. I was starting to feel the need for water/sugar by the 20 mile mark and came to a near stop to grab a water bottle at the last aid station. The bottle didn’t really fit in my handle bar aero holder, so I ended up holding it the rest of the ride. Not ideal, but desperate times call for desperate measures!
T2 could have been the highlight of the day. When I dismounted my bike, it was as if I had my own Pep Squad in transition. I was amazed at the abundant cheers, and was utterly grateful each and every time I heard my name-THANKS!! I LOVE THE LOCAL RACES!!
Aside from having my sister in town from Toronto to watch the race, my coach was also in town visiting from Boulder...
I've been training under the tutelage of Coach Jared since 2003, and since he's moved to Boulder, I rearly have the chance to see him. It was fun to have him watching, but I expect it will lead to increased run drills :-)The run was pretty standard. At the 1.5 mile mark I was able to get my first look at my pursuers and noticed Suzanne and Cindy about .5miles back. I was confident I could hold a steady pace to thwart any attacks on their part. It’s a two lop run course, and when I arrived at this point on the 2nd loop, I saw Suzanne approximately in the same place as the first loop. I tried to stay strong through the finish, but I was fading fast. I consumed a total of 30 calories during the entire race, but I was not about to test my intestinal fortitude against the High Fructose Corn syrup knowing water was enough to get me to the finish. I continued to hear from spectators that there was no one in sight behind me. Those are THE BEST words to hear at the end of a race, especially when you’re not feeling too strong. I finally made it to the finish chute and completely hammed it up with all the kids along the road waiting for high fives. I heard Jerry (the announcer) state that I broke the amateur course record by over 2 minutes! It was a Super feeling.
It didn’t take too long before Kristen came flying across the line in the runner up position in her VERY FIRST triathlon. Yup-First race, and she gets 2nd. I don’t know the full story, but I’ve since heard tidbits, and apparently she’s part of the Olympic development program for 10k and has trown down 32 min 10k’s in the past. Of course you couple that with a collegiate swim background and regardless of her tri experience, she’s a force each and every time she steps on the start line. Congrats Kristin-You will undoubtedly raise the bar with each race you enter.
I have decided to take my spot and race at the Toyota US Open in Dallas October 5. It may seem insane considering Kona is just 5days afterwards, but actually, I’m trilled with the schedule. Since deciding to focus on OLY distance this year as I prep for the AG Nationals, I figure another race 5 days before Kona won’t kill me. In my mind Kona will be a huge Training PARTY with 1500+ super inspiring athletes. My sisters, Kerry and the kids will be with me in Kona, so I simply want to enjoy the whole experience. I’m not a fan of Ironman Distance racing, but maybe going into it with that attitude and “winging it” will change things around! I’ve given my coach quite the task… Help me survive AND enjoy the Ironman World Championship, while training specifically for OLY distance!! A challenge indeed.
Here's a fun video clip from the finish line-Thanks Yndecam!
